


The Curve

by took_skye



Series: Living For the Night [29]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Noir, Bonding, F/M, Gen, POV Female Character, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-04
Updated: 2011-08-04
Packaged: 2017-10-23 19:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/254029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/took_skye/pseuds/took_skye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin tries to get closer to George Foyet's daughter with the same determination, but not for the same reasons, as she does everything else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Curve

_"Brain? Check. Dead sexy? Check. Devilish charm? Check. Formidable Scrabble opponent? Who cares?" ~ Veronica, Veronica Mars_

***///***

I grab her by the jaw just enough to mold her mouth the way I want. “Keep your lips apart, Lil.”

“I know how to wear lipstick, Erin” she fusses. She uses my first name. It comes off disrespectful in my opinion, but Jason told me it wasn’t worth it to fight the little things with her.

“Not like a lady, you don’t,” I insist, strengthening my hold until her lips pop open. “You’re going to be a woman soon and you need to learn to look and behave like one.”

There’s a chuckle in the girl’s throat, but it’s distorted as I paint the red onto her Cupid’s bow lips. I wonder if she realizes how many are likely to be jealous of such lips, including myself to a certain extent.

I set the lipstick down and grab a tissue. “Blot.”

“Huh?”

I press my lips to the paper in example, then put it in her hand. “No wonder you have that cheap crap caked on,” I roll my eyes some. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you about how to wear make-up properly?”

“She’s scared of me.” _And you should be too_ , the girl’s eyes turn that cutting glare Jason warned me about even as she does as told.

I will not be intimidated by a look though. I simply smile like I would speaking to a political adversary. “Well I’m not her,” I take the paper napkin from her.

“What color is this anyway?” The girl’s already onto the next thought. I’d swear she has some form of ADD if I didn’t know better.

“Blood Crimson.”

She smiles.

I smile back; I knew she’d like the name. I recall names being key in a girl’s early years, especially the teen ones. Brand names, nicknames, boys’ names…though I don’t imagine Lil being much interested in the last one. From what I can tell she is, despite what one would suspect given her personality and age, faithful to Jason.

“So, what’s this all about, anyway?” the girl asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you playing nice with me? Why are you playing with me at all?”

I pause and take a breath before answering. “I thought it might be nice if we at least tried to get along,” I return to selecting the next bit of make-up that would suit her. “For Jason’s sake.”

“You still like him, don’t you?”

“Of course, he’s a friend of mine.” I hand the girl some blush. “Has been for years. Now I’ll assume you can put this one on yourself without ending up looking like a streetwalker.”

Lil starts to smirk. “You ever fuck him?”

“That’s not an appropriate question to ask someone.”

The smirk quickly becomes a smile. “I thought girls talked about this sorta thing. Ya know, in between make-up tips and bemoaning their cycles.” She laughs.

“Girls do, but ladies don’t.”

“Then I don’t want to be a lady.”

“Soon you’ll have no choice,” I tell her firmly as I encourage her to spread the blush over her cheeks. “You’re growing up, Lil. You’ll be a lady before you know it and, with that, you’ll need to stop acting like a child and start behaving like a woman.”

The girl stops putting on the make-up and sets the compact down before turning to look at me. “I don’t need a mother.” That animal aggression starts to return in her.

“I’m not trying to be one.”

“Yes you are.” Her eyes narrow in a way that’s unsettling, like a predator preparing for a kill. “I’m not your kid.”

“Lil,” Jason’s voice is a warning that comes from the doorway behind the girl and we both look over at him. He smiles and his voice returns to its usual softness. “Erin, may I speak with you a moment?”

“Of course, Jason,” I move to stand.

Jason’s soft attention turns to Lil. “We’ll be right back, okay?” The girl shrugs. “You look very pretty.”

“I know!” Lil chirps with a smile and a wink.

***

Jason leads me down the hall a ways before he turns to speak. “Are you okay, Erin?”

“Of course”

“Are you sure?.” Jason’s voice is serious, almost heavy with concern.

I smile some. “I’m fine, Jason, really. That wasn’t the first time someone’s become threatening to me and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

The man smiles a touch. “True but…Lil’s not the average person. She’s not even the average criminal or killer.”

“She’s a child, Jason.”

“She’s a killer, Erin.” Jason sighs and his smile turns sad. “It would be a mistake to act as though Lil were…just another out-of-control teen girl.”

My brows arch a touch. “But becoming her lover is a wise move?” It’s a little bit of a low blow, but fair nevertheless in my opinion.

“Whatever my relationship with Lil is, Erin, I never forget what she’s capable of. I just…I don’t want you to get hurt by her, especially when I know you’re trying.”

“I’ll try to be more careful about mothering her.” It’s the genuineness in Jason’s words that brings out the same in mine.

“I couldn’t possibly tell you how much this all means to me, by the way.” My quizzical look presses him to continue. “I imagine this isn’t easy for you.”

“Because Lil’s your new…” I can’t find another word for it, “girlfriend?”

“Well that,” Jason nearly blushes, “and the fact that most others don’t think Lil’s worth the effort considering the risk she can pose.”

I can’t stop a sneaky smile from spreading over my lips. “Jason, I spend my days swimming with sharks in the political arena. Lilith might be more openly violent, but otherwise, she’s really nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

“Still.”

I shrug a touch.

“I also imagine it’s difficult given…other factors.”

“Other factors?”

“Allison. She was about Lil’s age when she passed, wasn’t she?”

My youngest, Allison – the one with my grey-blue eyes and her father’s crooked smile. She’d been driving home after a party, drunk, when she took the curve. That was it; that was the end of her young life. No senior prom, no graduation, no Ivy League, nothing but a funeral and a tree planted in her memory at the school.

“Yes.” I look down. “But that was a long time ago, Jason.”

“Time is irrelevant with that sort of pain, Erin.” He would know with his own history of loss. “And it would be understandable if you saw Lil as a sort of surrogate. You know that, right?”

“I do.” I look back up at him. “But that’s not what I’m doing, Jason.” Not intentionally, at least.

It is difficult though, to have a girl that looks as if she could’ve been friends with my daughter around. It does bring out those mother instincts still in me, makes me want to give her advice and guidance. The guidance I always hoped to continue to give to Ally as she grew, but never got the opportunity to. It’s like a haunt of that life, the life of a mother, taunting me. I thought I’d been glad to be rid of it – that my work was enough to keep me fulfilled – but that’s not the case. I miss being a mother and how much becomes clearer each moment I spend, see, the girl called Lil.

The girl called Lil calls from down the hall to us. “Hey, if your little secret meeting about me is over can we finish this?” I look back and see her smile. “I look kinda weird with everything done up but my eyes.”

Jason smiles. “Would you like Erin to keep helping you?”

“Well I don’t think you’re gonna be much help unless you’re secretly a cross-dresser or something.”

I can’t help but smile a touch as I look back at Jason. “You’re not, are you, Jason?”

“No,” Jason laughs as he shakes his head.

Lil giggles. “Great, cause that’d suck, seriously.”

“Let’s get your eyes done.” I leave Jason with a parting smile as I head back to the girl.

***

“You know anything about, like, dresses?”

“Dresses?”

“Yeah, dresses. Jason got invited to some charity party thing or whatever and I thought, um, I should go with him, ya know?” For the first time I pick up a nervous waver in her voice. “But…” Lil shrugs as we settle back in front of the mirror.

“You’re not sure what to wear?” I offer.

“Not for something fancy anyway.”

I pause, unsure how to proceed; I don’t want to misstep again so soon. “Well…did…did you want to go shopping for a dress?”

“With you?”

“I wouldn’t make the choice, just give my thoughts and make suggestions.”

“I don’t wanna look like some lame fairy princess,” Lil warns.

“Of course not.”

“I wanna look cool and all sleek and badass, ya know? I wanna…fit in and…look good…for Jason.”

“Naturally.” I smile a little almost seeing that humanity in her Jason swore up and down he knew was in there deep inside. She really does care about him and she’s as nervous about embarrassing him as just about any teen girl would be with their boyfriend.

“So you know where to find that sorta thing?”

“I do.”

Lil smiles, all the insecurity she just showed wiped from her face. “Cool. Then maybe, when you’re not busy taking bribes, you can take me out shopping.”

I let the dig slide with a soft laugh. “Sure. Provided you’re not drenched in the blood of your recent victims when I come to pick you up.”

“Good one,” the girl laughs out.

There’s silence as I work the eyeliner across her lower lids. I speak when done, going for the shadow next. “You really do care about him, don’t you, Lil?”

“He’s the only person who never judges me.”

“Jason’s always been good like that,” I smile out.

“Yeah, he has.”

***///***

 _"Follow your heart and don't question it, no matter where it tells you to go... It will open up a world of experiences you can't even imagine." ~ Mini, Mini's First Time_


End file.
